Stress in Nurses - Can you cope

Cary Cooper and other experts on occupational stress are of the opinion that the stress response arises from our appraisal of events. When things happen in our lives we first ask ourselves how significant a threat is this to our well being, we then ask how able am I to cope with the perceived level of threat. If we decide that there is a significant threat and we lack the ability to cope with it the stress response is triggered.

A nurses appraisal of the significance of the threat will be individual, what is a threat to one nurse will not necessarily be viewed as one by another. The same can be said of the nurses appraisal of their own ability to cope.

Nurses can develop their resilience and hardiness by developing their coping skills and examining the evidence for their appraisal of threat. Whilst the evidence suggest hardiness is in part dispositional there is also evidence that it can be learned.

Stress management coaching using a Cognitive Behavioural Approach including stress relieving techniques and resilience building strategies can be effective in helping nurses manage their stress in the short term and protect against it in the future.

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